#069

Press Release published by the Office of Public Affairs
& Publications

International
relations major Rebekah Enoch is one of two winners from Northern
California

SAN FRANCISCO,
April 4, 2006 -- Rebekah Enoch has become the
second San Francisco State University student to win the Harry S. Truman
Scholarship, one of the most competitive, prestigious academic awards
in the country.

Enoch
is one of 75 winners of this year's scholarship. The Decatur, Ga.,
native is the only winner from any of the 23 California State
University campuses. Stanford University claims the only other winner
from Northern California. The others come from 63 universities across
the country, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and University of Pennsylvania. Enoch was among 598
applicants for the scholarship from 311 institutions.

The Truman
Scholarship Foundation awards $30,000 scholarships to college juniors
with exceptional leadership
potential and commitment to careers
in government, public service or education. The scholarship funds
graduate study, leadership training and fellowships.

"Rebekah Enoch's superb scholarly talent and commitment to human rights
in China make her an ideal choice for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship," SFSU
President Robert A. Corrigan said. "Her work in the community,
global focus, and dedication to intellectual accomplishment exemplify
the mission and spirit of our University. I look forward to hearing
more about Ms. Enoch's work as she continues to make a positive difference
in the world for many years to come."

Enoch
became fascinated by the culture of China when visiting the country
during a yearlong
honeymoon journey around the world. She also developed
a concern for the human rights of Chinese citizens.

Enoch's
interest in China led her to study international relations at SFSU
and intern
with Dui Hua, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that
focuses on promoting human rights in China. She also studies Mandarin
and has taught art to homeless children.

Enoch,
a San Francisco resident, is considering graduate school in Nanjing.
She finds China attractive
due to her belief that it is the "total
polar opposite of U.S. history and U.S. culture."

"It's
so old. It has so many cultural traditions that are observed even
to present day," Enoch said. "I've always enjoyed those
things, and American culture doesn't have so much of that because
it's so young."

The Truman
scholarship application includes a federal public policy proposal.
Enoch worked with Lecturer Sophie Clavier on labor law reform
that would hold transnational corporations doing business in countries
such as China to the same labor standards as in the United States.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975
as the federal memorial to the 33rd president of the United States. There
have been 2,480 Truman scholars since the inception of the awards.

One of the largest campuses in the CSU system, SFSU was founded in 1899
and today is a highly diverse, comprehensive, public, urban university.